The five leads include a Black woman (Desna, Niecy Nash), a Latina lesbian enforcer (Quiet Ann, Judy Reyes), a mixed-race character (Virginia, Karrueche Tran), and two white women, with explicit queer elements like Quiet Ann's butch lesbian identity and relationships, Uncle Daddy's (Dean Norris) open bisexuality, and recurring trans characters such as Toby (Evan Daigle) exploring gender issues. Episodes feature salon art honoring Harriet Tubman, Angela Davis, and Rosa Parks, while storylines address patriarchy, domestic abuse, and women seizing power in a male crime world, aligning with creator Eliot Laurence's stated focus on female empowerment and queer inclusion and showrunner Janine Sherman Barrois's emphasis on populating the show with the diverse world she sees.